We have had a challenging year, but have come through in one piece.

This is how Vice CEO Carsten Jakobsen sums up Tulip’s success on the hardpressed UK market which has generally been characterised by falling consumption as a result of the financial crisis.

But while others have been hit hard by the economic situation, Tulip has managed to adapt to the new times.

We immediately set to work to cut costs. We closed several facilities and consolidated production at the remaining factories, so that we have improved our competitiveness. We have managed to ensure synergies in our operations, and thereby been able to compensate for the commercial pressure on sales, says Carsten Jakobsen.

The large chains have generally exerted considerable pressure on suppliers to lower prices. At the same time, thanks to strategic collaboration with the largest supermarket chains, we have developed the right products for the benefit of both parties, securing our market share in the UK.

The new market conditions have contributed to consumers changing their shopping habits, and Tulip has therefore launched more than 400 new products on the market. This has been realised in close collaboration with the most important customers and is largely the reason for Tulip’s success.

The plan is also to continue focusing on product development.

We have employed a new innovation manager who will manage the development of large projects and develop completely new product categories within our core business, says Carsten Jakobsen.

Tulip Ltd has also employed a CEO, Steve Murrells, who took up his appointment in Tulip Ltd on 5 October after previously holding jobs as managing director at two of the UK’s largest retail chains.

One of Steve Murrells’ strengths therefore is that he knows what the retail chains require of their suppliers, and he can make Tulip Ltd even more customer-oriented. This is what we need in our organisation as we need to be close to our customers, says Carsten Jakobsen, and continues:

The economic situation is set to throw up new challenges in the coming years, and new and targeted activities are therefore being planned on several fronts: customer focus, better product innovation in collaboration with key customers and continued streamlining of production, including investments in more efficient equipment.